Derby stakes to touch an all-time high
There is a saying in racing that if you want to make an ass of yourself, issue an unqualified statement about a race horse, the horse will take it from there. Horses have a way of fooling even the most wise, acknowledged as authorities. What else can explain the irony of the Gr 1 Fillies Championship Stakes Lovely Kiss and Gr 1 Colts Championship Stakes Pronto Pronto not being original entries for the coveted summer Derby while scores of other horses have been entered which have little or no chance in the coveted event?
Lovely Kiss and Pronto Pronto who are the top rated three-year olds in the country at the moment, have to be supplemented to the Derby as final entries. Severstahl who finished an impressive third despite the hind shoe coming off during the race is another who may run in the Derby as a final entry at a whopping amount of Rs 16 lakhs. The total stake money for the race is expected to swell beyond Rs 240 lakh mark. The Derby winner will get much more than the Indian Derby victor during this calendar year. Though Indian Derby has traditionally been the race with the highest stake money, on an earlier occasion also the Bangalore Derby winner got more.
With the Fillies and Colts Championship having concluded, the hunt is on as to who will claim the most coveted prize of the season. Interestingly, the Fillies winner is rated higher than Pronto Pronto, the winner of the colts’ championship. The superiority may not be real in terms of actual capabilities. The fillies’ winner Lovely Kiss got a higher rating because the daughter of Rebuttal beat Black Magic Woman who was the highest rated horse in the fray at 76. In comparison, the highest rated horse in the colts’ championship was Arrow In Auto Mode who had won two back to back handicap races and was placed at 70. With Arrow In Auto Mode not performing to expectations, the handicapper may have been constrained to push both Pronto Pronto and Speed Six to a much higher ranking in the handicap scale. For the record, Pronto Pronto started the summer season as the highest rated three-year old while Speed Six was rated at 56 which was the highest for a winner of a maiden race. Both these horses have gone on prove the handicapper’s high expectation.
The 3 lakh dollars that the winner of the Derby gets is much higher than plenty of Group I races all over the world. Barring the Derbies like Kentucky, Epsom and French Derby, most Group I races do not offer this kind of stake money. Surely the Bangalore Derby and Indian Derby will get an exalted status in all aspects because of the stake money. A winner of Triple Crown is one which wins the 2000 Guineas, the Derby and the Leger. In USA, the winner of Triple Crown is one who wins the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stake and Belmont Stakes. The Indian equivalent is Bangalore Derby, Indian Derby and Indian Turf Invitation Cup. Last year Moonlight Romance achieved this unique distinction after about 10 years. The last horse to achieve this feat was Smart Chieftain.
This year’s Derby is special in so many ways. Apart from the record breaking stakes for the winner, the race has an open look about it. There are at least eight horses whose connections are bound to fancy their chances strongly. Samar Singh rarely had a horse in classic reckoning but this year, he has a champion filly in Lovely Kiss who has recorded a hat-trick of wins. Her win in the Fillies’ championship was impressive as she was travelling well at the finish. Severstahl who finished an eye-catching third is expected to have a tilt in the Derby. Owner Rajan Agarwal said that the horse was slightly injured due to the shoe coming off in the race but if the horse recovers well, he will positively consider running the horse.
Pronto Pronto, Speed Six, Severstahl, Lovely Kiss, Star Marquees, Preordained are the principal contenders for the Derby though not necessarily in the order mentioned. With acute shortage of good jockeys, we may see half a dozen foreign jockeys guiding the fortunes of the top fancies. The field may yet again prove to be unwieldy and it may not be a surprise if we have the maximum permissible field of 18.
Lovely Kiss and Pronto Pronto who are the top rated three-year olds in the country at the moment, have to be supplemented to the Derby as final entries. Severstahl who finished an impressive third despite the hind shoe coming off during the race is another who may run in the Derby as a final entry at a whopping amount of Rs 16 lakhs. The total stake money for the race is expected to swell beyond Rs 240 lakh mark. The Derby winner will get much more than the Indian Derby victor during this calendar year. Though Indian Derby has traditionally been the race with the highest stake money, on an earlier occasion also the Bangalore Derby winner got more.
With the Fillies and Colts Championship having concluded, the hunt is on as to who will claim the most coveted prize of the season. Interestingly, the Fillies winner is rated higher than Pronto Pronto, the winner of the colts’ championship. The superiority may not be real in terms of actual capabilities. The fillies’ winner Lovely Kiss got a higher rating because the daughter of Rebuttal beat Black Magic Woman who was the highest rated horse in the fray at 76. In comparison, the highest rated horse in the colts’ championship was Arrow In Auto Mode who had won two back to back handicap races and was placed at 70. With Arrow In Auto Mode not performing to expectations, the handicapper may have been constrained to push both Pronto Pronto and Speed Six to a much higher ranking in the handicap scale. For the record, Pronto Pronto started the summer season as the highest rated three-year old while Speed Six was rated at 56 which was the highest for a winner of a maiden race. Both these horses have gone on prove the handicapper’s high expectation.
The 3 lakh dollars that the winner of the Derby gets is much higher than plenty of Group I races all over the world. Barring the Derbies like Kentucky, Epsom and French Derby, most Group I races do not offer this kind of stake money. Surely the Bangalore Derby and Indian Derby will get an exalted status in all aspects because of the stake money. A winner of Triple Crown is one which wins the 2000 Guineas, the Derby and the Leger. In USA, the winner of Triple Crown is one who wins the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stake and Belmont Stakes. The Indian equivalent is Bangalore Derby, Indian Derby and Indian Turf Invitation Cup. Last year Moonlight Romance achieved this unique distinction after about 10 years. The last horse to achieve this feat was Smart Chieftain.
This year’s Derby is special in so many ways. Apart from the record breaking stakes for the winner, the race has an open look about it. There are at least eight horses whose connections are bound to fancy their chances strongly. Samar Singh rarely had a horse in classic reckoning but this year, he has a champion filly in Lovely Kiss who has recorded a hat-trick of wins. Her win in the Fillies’ championship was impressive as she was travelling well at the finish. Severstahl who finished an eye-catching third is expected to have a tilt in the Derby. Owner Rajan Agarwal said that the horse was slightly injured due to the shoe coming off in the race but if the horse recovers well, he will positively consider running the horse.
Pronto Pronto, Speed Six, Severstahl, Lovely Kiss, Star Marquees, Preordained are the principal contenders for the Derby though not necessarily in the order mentioned. With acute shortage of good jockeys, we may see half a dozen foreign jockeys guiding the fortunes of the top fancies. The field may yet again prove to be unwieldy and it may not be a surprise if we have the maximum permissible field of 18.
Comments
Post a Comment